Auth0 Expo

Auth0 Expo Integration

Add authentication to Expo (React Native) applications using react-native-auth0 with the Expo Config Plugin.

Prerequisites

• Expo SDK 53 or higher (react-native-auth0 v5.x requires Expo 53+)
• React 19 and React Native 0.78.0 or higher
• Auth0 account with a Native application configured
• If Auth0 is not set up yet, use the auth0-quickstart skill first
• Not compatible with Expo Go — requires custom development client or EAS Build

When NOT to Use

| Use Case | Recommended Skill | |----------|------------------| | Bare React Native CLI project (no Expo) | auth0-react-native | | React web SPA (Vite/CRA) | auth0-react | | Next.js application | auth0-nextjs | | Vue.js SPA | auth0-vue | | Angular SPA | auth0-angular | | Express.js backend | auth0-express | | Native Android (Kotlin/Java) | auth0-android | | Backend API (JWT validation) | auth0-fastify-api or auth0-express |

Quick Start Workflow

1. Configure Auth0

For automated setup with Auth0 CLI, see [Setup Guide](./references/setup.md) for complete scripts.

For manual setup, configure a Native application in the Auth0 Dashboard and note your Domain and Client ID.

2. Verify Expo Dev Client

> Agent instruction: Before installing the Auth0 SDK, check if the project has expo-dev-client installed. Read the project's package.json and look for expo-dev-client in dependencies or devDependencies. > > - If expo-dev-client is found: Proceed to step 3. > - If expo-dev-client is NOT found: Use AskUserQuestion with the following message: > > "The react-native-auth0 SDK requires a custom Expo development client — it does not work with Expo Go. Your project does not have expo-dev-client installed. > > How would you like to proceed? > 1. Install it for me — I'll run npx expo install expo-dev-client and continue setup > 2. I'll set it up myself — skip this step and continue to Auth0 SDK installation" > > If the user picks option 1, run: > ``bash > npx expo install expo-dev-client > `` > Then proceed to step 3. If option 2, proceed to step 3 directly.

3. Install SDK

npx expo install react-native-auth0

4. Configure Expo Config Plugin

Add the react-native-auth0 plugin to app.json (or app.config.js) with your Auth0 domain and a custom scheme. Also ensure bundleIdentifier (iOS) and package (Android) are set:

{
  "expo": {
    "ios": { "bundleIdentifier": "com.yourcompany.yourapp" },
    "android": { "package": "com.yourcompany.yourapp" },
    "plugins": [
      ["react-native-auth0", {
        "domain": "YOUR_AUTH0_DOMAIN",
        "customScheme": "YOUR_CUSTOM_SCHEME"
      }]
    ]
  }
}

The customScheme must be all lowercase with no special characters (e.g., auth0sample). See [Setup Guide](./references/setup.md) for HTTPS callbacks, multiple domains, EAS Build, and secret management.

5. Configure Callback URLs

Add to Allowed Callback URLs and Allowed Logout URLs in the Auth0 Dashboard:

YOUR_CUSTOM_SCHEME://YOUR_AUTH0_DOMAIN/ios/YOUR_BUNDLE_ID/callback,
YOUR_CUSTOM_SCHEME://YOUR_AUTH0_DOMAIN/android/YOUR_PACKAGE/callback

All values must be lowercase with no trailing slash. For HTTPS callback URLs (App Links / Universal Links), see [Setup Guide](./references/setup.md#using-https-callback-urls-android-app-links).

6. Add Authentication with Auth0Provider

Wrap your app with Auth0Provider and use the useAuth0 hook:

> Agent instruction: Before adding new UI elements, search the project for existing click handlers for login, logout, sign-in, or sign-out buttons. If existing handlers are found, hook the Auth0 code into them. Only create new buttons if no existing handlers are found.

import React from 'react';
import { Auth0Provider, useAuth0 } from 'react-native-auth0';
import { View, Button, Text, ActivityIndicator } from 'react-native';

function HomeScreen() {
  const { authorize, clearSession, user, isLoading, error } = useAuth0();

  const login = async () => {
    try {
      await authorize(
        { scope: 'openid profile email' },
        { customScheme: 'YOUR_CUSTOM_SCHEME' }
      );
    } catch (e) {
      console.error('Login error:', e);
    }
  };

  const logout = async () => {
    try {
      await clearSession({ customScheme: 'YOUR_CUSTOM_SCHEME' });
    } catch (e) {
      console.error('Logout error:', e);
    }
  };

  if (isLoading) {
    return ;
  }

  return (
    
      {user ? (
        <>
          Welcome, {user.name}!
          {user.email}
          
        
      ) : (
        
      )}
      {error && {error.message}}
    
  );
}

export default function App() {
  return (
    
      
    
  );
}

7. Build & Verify

> Agent instruction: After completing the integration, build the project to verify it compiles: > ``bash > npx expo prebuild --clean > npx expo run:ios > # or > npx expo run:android > ` > If the build fails, analyze the error output. Common integration build failures include: > - **"Invariant Violation: Native module cannot be null"**: Using Expo Go instead of a development build — run npx expo run:ios or npx expo run:android instead of npx expo start > - **Plugin not applied**: Missing react-native-auth0 in app.json plugins array — verify the plugin configuration > - **Pod install fails (iOS)**: Run npx expo prebuild --clean to regenerate native projects > - **Manifest merge failure (Android)**: Conflicting auth0Domain placeholder — ensure only the config plugin sets the domain > > Re-run the build after each fix. Track the number of build-fix iterations. > > **Failcheck:** If the build still fails after 5–6 fix attempts, stop and ask the user using AskUserQuestion`: > "The build is still failing after several fix attempts. How would you like to proceed?" > - Let the skill continue fixing iteratively > - Fix it manually — show the remaining errors > - Skip build verification — proceed without a successful build

Detailed Documentation

• [Setup Guide](./references/setup.md) — Dev client requirement, automated setup, Expo config plugin, callback URLs, EAS Build, secret management
• [Integration Patterns](./references/integration.md) — Login/logout, credential management, biometric auth, token refresh, organizations, DPoP, error handling
• [API Reference & Testing](./references/api.md) — Configuration options, useAuth0 hook API, testing checklist, common issues, security

Common Mistakes

| Mistake | Fix | |---------|-----| | Using Expo Go instead of development build | react-native-auth0 requires native code. Use npx expo run:ios / npx expo run:android or create a development build with EAS. | | Missing customScheme in authorize/clearSession calls | Pass { customScheme: 'your-scheme' } as the second argument to authorize() and clearSession(). Must match the value in app.json plugin config. | | Callback URL mismatch | Ensure callback URL is all lowercase, no trailing slash, and matches Auth0 Dashboard exactly: {customScheme}://{domain}/ios/{bundleId}/callback | | App type not set to Native | The Auth0 application must be type Native in the Dashboard, not SPA or Regular Web. | | Missing bundleIdentifier or package in app.json | Both expo.ios.bundleIdentifier and expo.android.package must be set in app.json for callback URLs to work. | | Forgot to wrap app with Auth0Provider | All components using useAuth0() must be children of Auth0Provider. | | Using react-native-auth0 v5.x with Expo < 53 | Version 5.x requires Expo 53+. Use v4.x for older Expo versions. | | Not testing on physical device | Biometric authentication (Face ID, fingerprint) only works on a physical device, not simulators. Always test the full auth flow on a real device before release. |

Related Skills

• [auth0-quickstart](/auth0-quickstart) — Set up an Auth0 account and application
• [auth0-react-native](/auth0-react-native) — Bare React Native CLI projects
• [auth0-mfa](/auth0-mfa) — Configure multi-factor authentication
• [auth0-cli](/auth0-cli) — Manage Auth0 resources from the terminal

References

• Auth0 Expo Quickstart
• react-native-auth0 GitHub Repository
• react-native-auth0 API Documentation
• Expo Sample App
• EXAMPLES.md

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: auth0
• Source: auth0/agent-skills
• License: Apache-2.0

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.